International FYE Conference, Montreal, July ‘09 INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: LESSONS LEARNED IN...

International FYE Conference, Montreal, July ‘09International FYE Conference, Montreal, July ‘09International FYE Conference, Montreal, July ‘09International FYE Conference, Montreal, July ‘09

INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: INCREASING ACCESSIBILTY: LESSONS LEARNED IN LESSONS LEARNED IN

RETAINING SPECIAL RETAINING SPECIAL POPULATION STUDENTSPOPULATION STUDENTS

IN CANADAIN CANADA

Susan Gottheil, Mount Royal CollegeClayton Smith, University of Windsor

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Topics Introduction

Who are the Underserved Populations?

The Strategic Enrolment Management (SEM) Framework

Barriers to Access & Attrition Factors

Lessons Learned

Canadian Best Practices

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Overview In Canada, changing demographics & increased

competition, as well as social values based on equity, have sharpened efforts to increase PSE participation rates of youth from under-represented/ under-served groups

Provincial governments are funding a variety of targeted initiatives

Holistic retention programs & planning are not well-developed at most institutions

Access to and success in PSE has become an important public issue3

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Underserved/Underrepresented Underserved/Underrepresented PopulationsPopulations

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Low-Income/First Generation Students

58.5% of 18-24 year olds from families earning < $25,000 participated in PSE in 2006, compared to 80.9% of youth of same age from families with an income over $100,000 (Canadian Council on Learning)

Parental education (& not parental income) key Parental education (& not parental income) key driver of PSE participation in general & university in driver of PSE participation in general & university in particular particular (Finnie & Mueller, 2008)(Finnie & Mueller, 2008)

81% of 18 to 24 year olds whose parents have a university education participate in PSE, compared to 53% for young people whose parents didn’t go past high school (CMSF)

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First Generation Students (cont’d)

About half not involved in extra curricular activities (NSSE 2008)

Less likely than peers to earn degrees, even when differences in high-school preparation taken into account (College Board)

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Aboriginal Canadians

3.8% of the Canadian population (2006 Census)

• 62% North American Indian, 30% Métis, 5% Inuit

• 1,123 communities and close to a dozen language families

More than 70% living off reserves (54% in cities)

Much younger than Canadian population as a whole

• Almost half under 25 (2006 Census)

Fastest growing segment of Canadian population

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Aboriginal Canadians (cont’d)

Among 20-24 year olds, 40.3% have not completed high school vs. 12.5% in non-Aboriginal population (2006 Census)

By age 20, non-Aboriginal youth 3X more likely than Aboriginal youth to be in PSE (Baldwin & Parkin, 2007)

Dropout and attrition 33-56% higher (depending upon age of student) than among general student population (Parkin & Baldwin, 2009)

7.7% have a university credential vs. 23.4% of non-Aboriginal population (2006 Census)

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The SEM FrameworkThe SEM Framework

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Enrolment ManagementEnrollment management is an organizational concept and a systematic set of activities designed to enable educational institutions to exert more influence over their student enrollments. Organized by strategic planning and supported by institutional research, enrollment management activities concern student college choice, transition to college, student attrition and retention, and student outcomes. These processes are studied to guide institutional practices in the areas of new student recruitment and financial aid, student support services, curriculum development and other academic areas that affect enrollments, student persistence and student outcomes from college.

- Don Hossler, 1990


Traditional Enrolment Perspective

Recruitment/ Marketing

Admission

OrientationCo-curricular

Support

Academic Support

RetentionFinancial Support

Classroom Experience

The Student Success Continuum

Student’s College CareerAttain

Degree/Goal

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The SEM Perspective

Recruitment/ Marketing

Admission

OrientationCo-curricular

Support

Academic Support

RetentionFinancial Support

Classroom Experience

The Student Success Continuum

Student’s College Career AttainDegree/Goal

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Barriers to Access

Financial• Tuition, fees & cost of living

• Debt aversion

Academic• Low high school grades, wrong course prerequisites, high

dropout rate

• Lack of preparation (hard & soft skills); quality of local high schools

• Gaps in training and certification

Geographic• Distance, costs of travel

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Barriers to Access (cont’d)

Language & literacy

Family & community: Lack of role models• Note: Some ethnic groups have considerably higher

educational aspirations for their children than others

Enforced cultural assimilation and legacy of residential school system for Aboriginal students

Aspirational• Lack of interest/motivation

• PSE not considered necessary (for job, life)

• Lack of information about PSE benefits

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Barriers to Access (cont’d)

Self-esteem and self-confidence

Institutional• Programs don’t respond to needs, interests

• Unknown environment

• Admission criteria and complexity of admission procedures

• Lack of information

• Counseling structure

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Attrition Factors

Academic preparation and performance• Contributes to lack of engagement, motivation

• Questioning of abilities, confidence

Financial support, student debt, cost of education

Family and work responsibilities

Language proficiency

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Attrition Factors (cont’d)

Low level of educational aspiration/motivation; uncertain or misdirected goals/expectations

Well-being• Isolation

• Stress

• Lack of understanding of culture, racist attitudes on campus

Social/Family/Community support

Engagement

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Conclusion

Web of barriers to access & success interact with & compound one another

• Unmet financial need• Inadequate academic preparation, motivation &

direction• Insufficient information, guidance &

encouragement

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Lessons Learned: Increasing Retention within the SEM Framework

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Lesson #1 Access and success should not be targeted in

isolation: the barriers/obstacles are the same• Placing too much emphasis on access can be

problematic if it results in too little focus on student success

• Similarly, focusing primarily on policies which support persistence could result in failure to meet access goals

Remember the comprehensive SEM framework

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Lesson #2

Special population students have different needs from traditional students – the funnel & student life cycle experience is different for different students

Retention strategies need to be customized to meet the needs of each special population group

But remember, people from the same group are often/also diverse based on SES, age, individual experiences, etc.

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Lesson #3 There’s a need for both specialized/targeted programs

& integration of under-represented groups into regular programming

• The latter requires outreach, cultural sensitivity & awareness of specific historical, economic & social barriers faced by special populations

We need to create connectivity between our FYE programs & campus programs/services targeted to specific groups – e.g., holistic first-year experience programs

• Importance of entire campus community working together to support under-served populations & make them feel part of our communities

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Lesson #4

Need longer term resource commitment/strategies to have impact on both access and retention/student success

Need to work with communities, provide role models & mentorship opportunities, ensure adequate information

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Lesson #5 Assessment is key but … data is often difficult to

come by• Targeted communities sometimes are reluctant to self-

identify

- Makes it hard to set goals

• Difficult to assess what barriers may be and whether targeted programs and initiatives are successful

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Elements of Best Practices

Bridging/Transition program

Development of a cohort with peer support

Financial aid

Connection to community role models

Faculty/staff as coach or mentor

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Elements of Best Practices (Cont.)

Attention to special population needs and integration into the wider campus community

Holistic student life cycle approach

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EngagementIn Learning

EffectiveTransition

Access toSupport

Sense ofBelonging

Goals:- To develop appropriate

transition programming- To increase

participation in transition

programming

Goals:- To ensure appropriate support exists- To develop students’ knowledge of and ability and willingness to access support

Goals:-To foster academic

integration- To foster social

integration

Goals:- To teach students habits for academic success- To provide opportunities for students to explore and set goals

University of Saskatchewan’s Student Achievement Model: Principles and Goals

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Pathways to Education

Started in Toronto’s Regent Park, now in 6 Canadian communities

• Integrated academic, social & financial support to at-risk students through community-based initiatives

• Tackles low ambition and low marks, builds positive self-image

• Provides mentors and tutors from Grade 9 on and $4,000 bursary on high school graduation (“learning accounts”)

- Dropout rates fell from 23%-58% in different sites

- Teen pregnancies and crime rate plummeted

- College and university enrolment almost doubled• 80% of graduates from Pathway’s original site in Regent’s Park

have gone on to PSE (2009)

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Foundations for Success Project Offers case-managed support services & financial

incentives to students at 3 Ontario colleges (Seneca, Mohawk & Confederation)

• Assesses students after admission but before begin, identifying those that would benefit from academic tutoring, peer mentorship & career counselling

• Highest impact when matched with (small) financial bursary

• Has led to 6.4% increase in student retention

• Project specifically benefited low-income students, ESL students, students entering with low (under 65%) high school grades, & women

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Lethbridge College: First Nations, Métis and Inuit (FNMI) Transition Program

Provides 12 students with a $12,000 scholarship to aid with finances

Provides 3 steps to aid in transition• Course on introduction to college life (August)

• Additional course in 1st term on skills and attitudes needed for college success

• Class on leadership skills (January)

Spiritual support from elders; help from mentors and advisors

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Fisher River First Nation (Manitoba)

Implemented a 9-month transition program for all students who want band to fund PSE

• Aim is to reduce drop-out rate

• Course focuses on life skills, academic upgrading & career counseling

• Students spend time in Winnipeg to prepare for transition to urban living

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And Some Other Strategies … Specialized academic programs/courses Delivering courses in communities/off campus Reserving seats in programs Programs for internationally trained professionals Bridging & transition programs Community partnerships & outreach Financial aid workshops Targeted bursaries, scholarships, & work-study programs Dedicated space on campus Residence/housing Supportive campus environment

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Contact Us @Contact Us @

Susan GottheilSusan Gottheil [email protected]

Clayton SmithClayton Smith [email protected]

Canadian SEM Website: www.uwindsor.ca/semCanadian SEM Website: www.uwindsor.ca/sem

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